On Thursday (September 16), the Madras High Court sentenced [pdf] Youtuber Savakku Shankar to 6 months in prison for repeatedly casting aspersions on the integrity of the Judiciary.
The matter was heard by a 2-Judge Bench of Justices B Pugalendhi and GR Swaminathan. While convicting Shankar in the contempt of court case, the court noted, “We would have closed the proceedings if the contemnor had realised his mistake and sincerely apologised.”
“Far from doing so, the contemnor stuck to his position. In fact, his conduct during the last few weeks would constitute acts of contempt on their own. We consciously refrain from referring to them,” it added.
Madras HC sentences Savukku Shankar to 6 months imprisonment in the contempt petition against him. The Bench refuses to suspend the sentence on the request of contemnor.
The Judges noted that Savakku Shankar was suspended from the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption in Tamil Nadu about 13 years ago and that he had been drawing a subsistence allowance from the State government every month.
“He is governed by conduct rules. Yet, he has been attacking all three organs of the State in a vicious manner…He cannot tar the entire institution with a single brush. That would be crossing the Lakshman Rekha by a long shot. It is not as if the said remark accidentally tumbled out of his mouth — it was not a slip of the tongue,” the Court said.
“It does not require a forensic mind to conclude that they are ex-facie scandalous. They denigrate and deride the institution of the judiciary,” it stated while finding Savakku Shankar guilty of contempt of court.
The Background of the case
In July this year, Savukku Shankar courted controversy after he alleged that Tamil activist Maridhas was granted bail after meeting Justice GR Swaminathan at a temple in Madurai.
“Certain Community people spit and spread Corona. This is Corona Jihad”. This is freedom of speech and expression according to GR Swaminathan and he quashed the case against Maridass,” he tweeted on July 20.
“Certain Community people spit and spread Corona. This is Corona Jihad”. This is freedom of speech and expression according to GR Swaminathan and he quashed the case against Maridass pic.twitter.com/cPXEouFWMu
Following his contentious remark, the Madras High Court initiated contempt proceedings against Savukku Shankar. Justice GR Swaminathan said, “…Thiru Shankar is suggesting that the outcome of the Maridhas case was influenced by the person I am alleged to have met.”
“This is clearly scandalising the judiciary. Prima facie, Thiru Shankar had committed criminal contempt,” he emphasised. However, on July 22, Shankar again tried to cast aspersions on the integrity of the judiciary.
In a video uploaded on the channel ‘Red Pix 24X7′, the Youtuber claimed that the entire judiciary was ‘plagued by corruption.’ Shankar did not provide any evidence to corroborate the claims.
The July 22 video has now been private by Savukku Shankar
It was following the July 22 video that the Madras High Court took suo motu cognisance of the matter. The Judges were furious after learning that Shankar continued his tirade against the Judiciary despite two contempt of court cases.
“The contemnor has reiterated his resolve to continue his attack on the judiciary. He has gone to the extent of stating that he can be sentenced only to a maximum of six months and after coming out he will focus all his attention exclusively on judges and the judiciary,” the Madras High court had noted.
“We do not propose to quail…. There are occasions when judges have to be firm and stern. Shrugging off such provocations by stating that we possess broad shoulders would be seen as a sign of weakness,” it concluded.
Screengrab of an article on Justice CT Selvam by Shankar
It must be mentioned that the Tamil Youtuber had several run-ins with the Judiciary. In 2014, Justice Cyril Thamarai Selvam of Madras High Court ordered Savukku Shankar to block his website for defaming police officials and judges.
The Youtuber then proceeded to run several sites in the name of Justice CT Selvam, including his current website. This made the Court come to the conclusion that Shankar is a habitual offender.
Savukku Shankar made false claims about Nupur Sharma, Amit Shah
In June this year, the Tamil Youtuber falsely blamed the Union Home Ministry of endorsing the remarks on Prophet Muhammad by ex-BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma.
1. The interview was days before her suspension 2. She said HMO was in touch with her about the threats she was getting (the question was what support is she getting against threats) 3. She NEVER said she was congratulated
In an interview with Opindia, Sharma informed that the Home ministry was in touch with her following the consistent death and rape threats made by Islamists on social media.
Shankar deliberately took the words out of context and claimed that she was congratulated by Amit Shah for her remarks. He also tried to build a case against India before the Foreign Ministry of Kuwait.
Later, his Twitter account was withheld in the country following a legal complaint.
On Thursday, the Islamist petitioner who happened to challenge the Karnataka HC’s order on the hijab issue criticised Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar’s statement extracted from High Court’s judgment and called it ‘offensive’. Senior advocate Colin Gonsalves appearing for the pro-hijab students stated that Ambedkar’s words were deeply offensive and biased.
“It is not a statement that should be repeated in India, great though he may have been”, he added.
According to the reports, the comments followed an exchange with the SC bench led by Justices Hemant Gupta and Sudhanshu Dhulia about the HC judgment on the hijab matter. Gonsalves claimed to have read the entire HC judgment and alleged that the court had delivered the judgment from the majoritarian perspective. He also said that the judgment in no way conformed to constitutional independence.
He read a few paragraphs from the HC judgment which linked the wearing of hijab to cultural practices of the past, women’s emancipation, and the developing of scientific temperament. “So (according to HC), hijab is not a part of religion…. I wear the hijab, (but according to HC) I can’t be emancipated. I wear the hijab, I can’t have scientific temperament”, Gonsalves read adding that the HC judgment was not worth relying upon for the final verdict. According to him, the HC order associated the wearing of hijab with indiscipline and anarchy, as well as social segregation and sectarianism of all kinds.
However, Justice Dhulia intervened senior advocate and asked him to stop criticizing the HC judge. “This was said about what Dr Ambedkar had said at some point in time. So it is not the judge saying it”, Justice Dhulia stated. He also slammed the advocate for deliberately cherry-picking the statement from the HC judgment and reading it in a different context. “The verdict cannot be read like a statute, cherry-picking (here and there)…this was said in some different context altogether”, Justice Dhulia was quoted.
The HC in its judgment had referred to Ambedkar’s statement from his book ‘Pakistan or the Partition of India’ and had said, “What the chief architect of our Constitution observed more than half a century ago about the purdah practice equally applies to wearing of the hijab. There is a lot of scope for the argument that insistence on wearing of purdah, veil, or headgear in any community may hinder the process of emancipation of women in general and Muslim women in particular”.
Justice Dhulia directed the senior advocate appearing for the hijab girls not to play with the words in the HC judgment. Meanwhile, Gonsalves reiterated that the HC judgment was not worth relying upon and that it was biased. He asked why the hijab cannot be allowed if Sikhs can be allowed to wear a turban. Also, senior advocate Kapil Sibal, who appeared for the appellants, questioned whether the fundamental right of hijab-wearing girls to enter the school being extinguished if they were allowed to wear hijab in public but not inside the school.
Further Advocate Prashant Bhushan argued that the government school can have a uniform but cannot restrict the hijab. Hijab, according to Advocate Shoeb Alam, is an issue of personal identity, and the amount to which an individual decides to cover his or her body to feel protected from public scrutiny is a personal choice. He contended that the right could not be revoked just because a person was in a public location. The Court will hear the case next on September 19.
A mob of Congress workers reportedly stormed a store in Kollam over donations to the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Kerala. According to reports, Congress activists vandalized a vegetable shop in Kunnikode owned by a person named Anas. Anas upset the local leaders when he refused to donate the money sought by the party workers as a donation in relation to the Bharat Jodo Yatra of the Congress party
The incident took place on Thursday evening when the Congress party workers reportedly issued a receipt for Rs 2000 to Anas and asked him to pay for the Bharat Jodo Yatra. Anas declined to pay 2000 rupees, claiming that he could only contribute 500 rupees. Following that, the workers vandalized the shop by throwing away and smashing stuff.
Reports state that shop owner Anas has filed a complaint with the police regarding the incident. At the same time, Vilakkudy West Mandal Committee President has stated that there was no violence caused by the Congress and that this is a plot by the Communist Party to defame the Congress party.
On September 7, Rahul Gandhi, together with other political personalities, Congress members, and other ‘activists,’ started the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra.’ It started in Kanyakumari and is expected to end in Kashmir after 150 days. The Yatra will cover 3,500 kilometres and pass through 12 states.
Though the party claims to be trying to avoid disruptions during the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra,’ it has made headlines for all the wrong reasons from the outset. The luxurious containers in which the leaders sleep, the involvement of so-called activists such as Yogendra Yadav, and the inclusion of anti-Hindu speakers such as George Ponnaiah have all raised eyebrows.
During a press briefing over his ‘Bharat Jodo yatra’ in Tamil Nadu, Rahul Gandhi recently stated, “we’re not fighting anymore a political party. It’s now between the structure of the Indian state & opposition.”
#WATCH | BJP has taken control of all the institutions of this country & pressurise through them…we’re not fighting anymore a political party. It’s now between the structure of the Indian state & opposition: Congress MP Rahul Gandhi in Tamil Nadu during ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ pic.twitter.com/c2sXkFmvgs
Talking to the reporters, Rahul Gandhi further said, “As I’ve said, the BJP has taken control of all the institutions of this country. They have inserted most of their people in most of the institutions. They pressurize through these institutions. You know the role of the CBI, of the ED, of the Income Tax Department. You know how they deal with these things. So, we’re not fighting anymore a political party. We used to fight a political party. Now the fight is between the structure of the Indian state and the opposition.”
On September 10, Nishant Kumar Azad, a journalist working with Nationalist weekly magazine Organiser received death threats from a US-based phone number. In the threat message, it was written that Nishant Azad would be beheaded if he continues to support the Hindutva ideology. He was threatened to stop spreading ‘propaganda’ against Islam otherwise ‘he will have to pay the price for it’.
There has been a First Information Report (FIR) filed. According to the FIR, at around 7:00 p.m. on September 10, a missed WhatsApp video, audio call, and message in Urdu and English were received from an unknown US-based number [+(701) 543-0549]. “Gustakh-e-nabi ki ek hi saza, sar tan se juda sar tan se juda” and “stop preaching agenda against Islam, you will pay for it (sic)” are among the messages. When the complainant questioned him about the identity of the sender, they said that they know everything about Nishant and that if he continued to write on such topics, he would face the consequences.
As per the FIR, the intimidator referred to Kanhaiyalal and Umesh Kolhe, he warned Nishant to stop writing in support of Hindu organisations or he will end up getting killed in the same way as Kanhaiyalal and Umesh Kolhe were beheaded.
Along with the threat message, the intimidator also shared the screenshot of one of Nishant Azad’s tweet in which the journalist had recently slammed Congress for posting an image of a ‘burning khaki uniform’ of RSS.
Organiser in its report says that the threat messages to its journalist Nishant Azad should be seen in the context of the recent killings of Hindus by Islamists.
On 22 June, Umesh Kolhe, a pharmacist from Amravati in Maharashtra was murdered by four Islamists for supporting suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma when she received death and rape threats from Islamists across countries for her remarks about the prophet Muhammad and Islam.
In Rajasthan’s Udaipur, Kanhaiyalal, a Hindu tailor was beheaded by Jihadis over his social media post backing Nupur Sharma. Two Jihadis, Ghous Mohammad and Mohammad Riyaz, on June 28, brutally murdered Kanhaiyalal in his shop. The two were arrested. This case is being investigated by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
Months after the brutal murder of Kanhaiya Lal in Udaipur, the son of the Hindu tailor has pledged not to wear slippers until the killers of Lal are hanged.
While speaking to news agency ANI, Yash said, “I have pledged to not wear slippers until the accused are hanged till death. I have not been able to recover from the incident.”
He had stopped wearing slippers since the day after the beheading of his father on June 28, 2022. Yash goes outdoors barefoot, without slippers and shoes.
I have pledged to not wear slippers until the accused are hanged till death. I have not been able to recover from the incident: Yash, son of Kanhaiya Lal who was beheaded on June 28 by two men in Udaipur, #Rajasthanpic.twitter.com/P7pOeuLOSm
On June 28, a Hindu man named Kanhaiya Lal was brutally murdered in Udaipur, Rajasthan, over an alleged post in favour of former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Nupur Sharma. The post was allegedly made by accident from Kanhaiya Lal’s phone by his 8-years-old son while playing a video game.
His neighbour Nazim filed a complaint against Kanhaiya Lal, following which he was arrested. Nazim also leaked Kanhaiya Lal’s number, photograph, and address to his community groups. After being released on bail, he continued to receive threats.
Fearing for his life, Kanhaiya Lal shut his shop for six days and approached Police for protection. Instead of giving him protection, the Police asked him to compromise with the Islamists who were threatening him.
After six days, when he opened his shop, two Islamists came as customers and beheaded him. They were identified as Mohammed Riyaz Akhtar and Mohammed Ghaus. The case was later taken over by NIA under the Ministry of Home Affairs’ direction. The central agency on July 23 arrested the eighth accused in the case.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has ended up hurting the credibility of India after he lied about BMW setting up a plant in Punjab. According to a report by News18, the Diplomats of the Ministry of External Affairs have expressed their anger over the lie and said that his statement hurt the credibility of India.
News18, citing government sources, reported that the incident had left the diplomats ‘very embarrassed’ and had ‘hurt the credibility’ of the country and Indian diplomacy abroad. “Such exaggerated and unwarranted claims were inadvisable. The CM was representing the country abroad and our diplomats had arranged the meeting (with BMW). Now, the blowback of this gaffe comes to the diplomats. It hurts the credibility of the country and government”, the Diplomat told News18.
It is pertinent to note that the Punjab government had claimed in a statement that during his Germany visit, CM Bhagwant Mann secured investment from BMW as the company has agreed to set up its auto part manufacturing unit in the state. It was claimed that a decision for this investment was taken during Mann’s visit to BMW headquarters in Munich today.
The Punjab govt claimed that after Mann ‘showcased the Punjab government’s exemplary work to promote industry in the state’, BMW group agreed to set up its auto component unit in state. The statement added that it will be the second plant of BMW in India, after the existing one in Chennai.
The company, however, denied the claims made by Bhagwant Mann. In a press release, BMW said, “BMW Group India has no plans for setting up additional manufacturing operations in Punjab.” The company said that “BMW Group is firmly committed to its Indian operations with its manufacturing plant in Chennai, a parts warehouse in Pune, a training centre in Gurgaon NCR and a well-developed dealer network across major metropolitans of the country,” and it has no plans to make additional investment for a new plant in Punjab.
The company also said in its press release, “Along with cars and motorcycles, BMW Group’s activities in India comprise financial services for its premium clientele. BMW India and BMW India Financial Services are 100% subsidiaries of the BMW Group and are headquartered in Gurgaon (National Capital Region).”
Indian Diplomats cite another incident where AAP’s Arvind Kejriwal embarrassed India
The Diplomats seem to see a pattern in the conduct of AAP and its leaders, if the News18 report is to be believed. While talking about Bhagwant Mann, they also cited another example of how AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal embarrassed India earlier. They recalled the incident where Kejriwal had claimed that a Singapore variant of COVID-19 was adversely affecting children.
After Arvind Kejriwal made these comments, Singapore had taken strong exception. Singapore had lodged an angry protest with the external affairs ministry and India’s high commissioner there was summoned. External affairs minister S Jaishankar was constrained then to clarify that “the Delhi CM does not speak for India”.
Several recent ground reports by OpIndia have shown that demography is changing rapidly along India’s border with Nepal. The number of mosques and madarsas is rapidly increasing in the area. From August 20 to 27, 2022, an OpIndia team visited several areas in Nepal bordering India to observe the ground situation. What follows here is the twelfth episode of the series of reports documenting the facts noticed by the OpIndia team.
In the previous report, we delved into the details of the vastly increasing number of mosques and houses of worship mushrooming along the road from Balrampur district headquarters to Nepal’s Jarwa border. In this article, we will tell you what the village heads and public representatives of these villages have to say about the rampant Islamisfication underway along the Indo-Nepal border.
Muslims purchase more land than Hindus
During our trip to several districts along the Indo-Nepal border, one Shivendra Kasaudhan, a local businessman from Balrampur’s Maharajganj Terai area, greeted us at Tulsipur Bazar tehsil. He also attested to the fact that the Muslim population in the district is growing much faster than the Hindu population. He further stated that the native Muslims have been steadily settling their relatives and kins here by purchasing land from Hindus. Shivendra claimed that many Hindus sell their properties to these Muslims because they pay more than the normal market rate.
Balarampur’s Shivendra Kasaudhan in conversation with OpIndia staff
Shivendra went on to say that Rizwan Zaheer is the most powerful leader in the area and that only the Yogi administration (Yogi Sarkar) can keep him in check. Despite the presence of a well-known temple such as Devipatan, he maintained that the number of Islamic places of worship in the area grew significantly under the previous Samajwadi Party regime.
Shivendra maintained that any increase in the Muslim population in these places is due to both locals and the gradual influx of outsiders who have come and settled in these areas. He also admitted that incidents of communal violence in these Muslim-dominated areas have risen over time and urged local authorities to take notice.
Muslim community outnumbers Hindus in this area
Pradeep Kumar, the priest of Baba Mukteshwar Nath Dham on his way to Jarwa from the Nepalese border, informed us that the temple is built in a Muslim-dominated area. According to the Mahant, the Muslim community not only outnumbers the Hindus in that area, but they have also surpassed them economically and politically.
Priest Pradeep Kumar stated that the temple is the centre of faith for the local Hindus, and it is here that they receive religious education. The priest informed us that the leader of the village council in which this temple is located is Muslim.
Pradeep Kumar, the priest of Baba Mukteshwar Nath Dham
Muslim population increased manifolds during the last 10 years
Nankan Mishra, an uncle of the local village head and a resident of Ratanpur Jhingha hamlet near Jarwa district along the Nepal border, spoke to OpIndia. He told us that he operates a school called ‘Bhagwati Adarsh Vidyalaya’.
Nankan Mishra’s nephew defeated Siraj Khan in the presidential election. Before him, the hamlet was led by a Muslim woman named Noor Jahan. According to Nankan, the Muslim population in his village is approximately 50%, and this percentage has grown over the last ten years.
He stated that the majority of the Muslim population in his village has come and settled from Nepal, with the remainder from various parts of India. Mishra referred to these migrant Muslims as ‘NRI type people’.
Nobody ever investigated these outsiders
Nankan Mishra stated that no officer or govt employee has ever inquired as to who these outsiders are or where they have come from. Mishra likened his neighbourhood to a lodge and stated that whoever wanted to reside there can do so without restriction.
According to Mishra, along with the population, mosques and madrasas in the area have also grown in the same proportion.
Nankan Mishra
Number of mosques and madarsas grown drastically in every border village
Nankan Mishra told us that the number of mosques and madarsas has grown in all border villages, not just his own. Reminiscing his childhood days, the 50-year-old Nankan stated that there were only two mosques, at least what he is aware of, in his area at that time, but today many Saudi-style mosques have mushroomed in the area. Mishra further stated that the same is true of the nearby Mahadeva hamlet. He estimated that the majority of the people in the village of Tandwa, located in Siddharthnagar Zone, Uttar Pradesh were also Muslims.
Urdu and Arabic names inscribed on taps
Nankan Mishra went on to describe how the taps put in his hamlet and adjacent areas have details in Urdu and Arabic inscribed on them. Mishra reported that the village’s public taps were installed with funding coming from Saudi Arabia.
He mentioned that a local Maulana is getting these taps installed, but no one has investigated him yet. Locals, according to Mishra, do not complain to the government because they know no action would be taken against him, in fact, it would only create animosity between them and the Maulana.
Taps with Arabic engravings spotted by the Opindia team
We started our own inquiry to see how accurate Nankan Mishra’s information on the public taps with Arabic inscriptions was. We spotted several such taps placed along the road and throughout the hamlet. The taps at Premnagar, a village near Tulsipur police station, read ‘United Arab Emirates Association’ in Arabic and ‘Khair Technical Society India’ in English.
भारत नेपाल सीमा पर बदल रहे हालातों का जायजा लेते हुए हमने तुलसीपुर क्षेत्र में ऐसे नल देखे जिन पर अरबी भाषा में कुछ लिखा था
इसी के साथ उसी नल पर खैर टेक्निकल सोसाइटी इंडिया भी इंग्लिश में लिखा था
One such tap could be found near the main road, in front of Dr Ibadur Rahman’s clinic at the Khairi roundabout. People present there told us that the tap was installed using ‘zakat’ money and that more such taps can be found in both Hindu and Muslim homes.
As we delved further, we discovered that the ‘Khair Technical Society’ is headed by someone from Dumariaganj, a Muslim-dominated market in Siddharthnagar.
A creeping Islamisation of Nepal and its border areas appears to be underway, with Islamists steadily establishing their foothold in distant villages, including those on the Indian border. In the first four parts of this series, OpIndia documented the demography change ongoing in Nepal, as well as the worrying surge in the number of mosques and madarsas in the Himalayan nation’s border villages. Additionally, we also spoke about the rising incidents of love jihad in Nepal, as well as its Delhi connection and smuggling, and various other notorious activities that are going on along India’s border with Nepal.
In a significant development ensuring further elimination of violence in Assam, today the centred signed peace agreements with eight tribal militant organisations in Delhi in the presence of union home minister Amit Shah. The tripartite agreements were signed among the central government, the Assam government, and the militant groups.
The eight groups that returned to mainstream include five Adivasi militant groups and 3 splinter groups. The five main groups that signed the agreement are Birsa Commando Force (BCF), Adivasi People’s Army (APA), All Adivasi National Liberation Army (AANLA), Adivasi Cobra Military of Assam (ACMA) and Santhal Tiger Force (STF).
On the other hand, the other 3 organisations are splinter groups of BCF, AANLA and ACMA.
Cadres of these militant groups surrendered their weapons in 2012, and are living in designated camps since then. A total of 1,182 members of the groups had laid down their arms that year.
Apart from Ammit Shah, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, and senior officials of Assam govt and union home ministry were present on the occasion.
Calling it a historic agreement, Amit Shah said that it is another milestone towards PM Narendra Modi’s vision of a peaceful North East. He informed that with this agreement, 1182 armed cadres have agreed to abjure violence and join the peaceful democratic process.
The signing of the historic tripartite agreement between Govt of India, the Assam govt and representatives of eight Tribal groups of Assam at North Block, New Delhi. https://t.co/hopLMpW2nR
The agreement also provides for rehabilitation and re-settlement of armed cadres and measures for the welfare of the tea garden workers. The home minister informed that a Special development package of Rs.1000 crore, Rs.500 crore each by Govt. of India and Govt. of Assam, will be provided over a period of five years for the development of infrastructure in Adivasi inhabited villages/areas.
The agreement also provides for the setting up of an Adivasi Welfare and Development Council by the Government of Assam with the objective of fulfilling the political, economic and educational aspirations; protecting, preserving and promoting social, cultural, linguistic and ethnic identities.
During the meeting, Amit Shah said that the central govt has decided to end all border disputes among states in North East and sign agreements with all armed militant groups in the region by 2024. He also added that the development of the region will be accelerated to make it at par with the rest of the country.
The agreement provides for setting up of an Adivasi Welfare and Development Council by the Govt. of Assam with the objective of fulfilling the political, economic and educational aspirations; protecting, preserving and promoting social, cultural, linguistic and ethnic identities. pic.twitter.com/v63X3Cyil0
He said that Modi govt fulfils all the promises made, and so far 93% of the promises made in all agreements signed with various groups have been fulfilled, and assured the groups that signed the accord today that the promises made to them will also be realised in letter and spirit.
Amit Shah said that the central govt is working towards making North East and Assam drug-free, terrorism-free and dispute-free. He further said that PM Modi has given the vision of developing the eight north-eastern states as Astha Lakshmi, and the govt is committed work towards that goal.
Cadres of these outfits have been living in designated camps since 2016 when their 1,182 cadres laid down arms & returned to mainstream.
I'm sure today's historic pact that promises adequate rehabilitation of the once misguided youth will usher in a new era of peace in Assam.
“I’m sure today’s historic pact that promises adequate rehabilitation of the once misguided youth will usher in a new era of peace in Assam,” Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma said in a tweet. He called the signing of the peace agreement a historic moment, and said that it is another milestone Assam has achieved due to caring guidance of PM Narendra Modi and special initiatives of home minister Amit Shah.
The CM said that today’s historic pact that promises adequate rehabilitation of the once misguided youth will usher in a new era of peace in Assam.
Except ULFA (I) led by Paresh Baruah and Kamatapur Liberation Organisation, all other armed militant groups that were active in Assam have laid down their arms and signed peace agreements with the government.
In 2020, cadres of all factions of the Bodo militant group National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) had surrendered their arms, and a tripartite agreement was signed in presence of Amit Shah. The agreement had ended almost three decades long violent protests demanding a separate state for the Bodo community, as the militants returned to mainstream accepting the greater powers given to the Bodoland Territorial Council that governs the Bodoland Territorial Region established under 6th Schedule of The Constitution of India.
After that, various peace agreements were signed with Tiwa Liberation Army, United Gorkha People’s Organisations, Kuki Tribal Union militants, etc.
Police in Raigad has arrested a Muslim cleric for allegedly molesting 3 minor girls in Karjat. The girls were aged between 5 to 12 years. The accused, identified as Hussain Rampurwala, delivers religious lectures to children at a Jamatkhana in Karjat, where the alleged crime took place.
The accused has been sent to police custody till Friday after a case was registered against him under section 354 of the IPC and the relevant sections of the POCSO Act.
Maharashtra | Police in Raigad arrested a muslim cleric for allegedly molesting three minor girls in Karjat. He was arrested after the parents of an 11-year-old girl approached police with their complaint on13 Sep. He has been sent to police custody till tomorrow: Raigad Police
The accused was arrested after the parents of an 11-year-old girl approached the police with their complaint on September 13. According to police, the parent of the girl had taught her about good touch and bad touch and when she realised that the cleric was trying to touch her inappropriately, she complained to her parents when she went back.
As per the complainant, the cleric was touching the girls from five years old to 12 years old inappropriately. Based on the complaint, the police arrested the cleric.
The cleric used to teach holy books to the girls from the age of 5 years to 12 years in the Jamatkhana. Police are checking with the other girls there to see if they had also faced abuse at the hands of the cleric.
The district court in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, delivered a crucial decision in the Shringar Gauri-Gyanvapi Masjid dispute on Tuesday. The court ruled in favour of the Hindus accepting the maintainability of the petition seeking to worship Hindu Gods and Goddesses in the mosque premises and rejected the plea of the Anjuman Committee that had petitioned the court to dismiss the plea by the Hindus. Following this, Haji Mehboob, a former party in Babri Masjid- Shri Ramjanmbhoomi land dispute, made a made a controversial statement saying that there will be bloodshed in the country if the final verdict in the Gyanvapi case is against the Muslims.
He said that if Gyanvapi verdict turns out to be like the Babdi verdict, it will not be good and the nation will have to pay the price for this and there will be nothing left in the country other than bloodshed and murders. He said that what is happening in Gyanvapi is not right, and Muslims will not accept the court’s verdict if it goes against them, unlike the way the Babri verdict was accepted. Haji Mehboob said that Muslims lost the Babri site because they showed no interest in opposing the Supreme Court verdict, and that’s why the matter has died down, but the same will not happen with Gyanvapi.
Haji Mehboob further said that if the government and the RSS do anything wrong, the country will face widespread violence. He also stated that Gyanvapi is and will continue to be a mosque. It is notable that the Muslim side has stated that they will appeal the court’s ruling to a higher court.
Haji Mehboob is known for his controversial statements, and he was a party on behalf of Babri Masjid in the Ramjanmabhoomi dispute. The construction of Ramlala’s magnificent and grand Ram temple is underway at the Janmabhoomi.
When Haji Mehboob threatened ‘nationwide agitation’ if the court rules in favour of Hindus
This is not the first time Haji Mehboob has made such provocative remarks. In the month of May this year, when the Varanasi court ordered the sealing of the palace inside the Gyanvapi Masjid after the court-ordered survey was conducted and a Shivling-like structure was found, Haji Mehboob had alleged that the developments around the Gyanvapi and Mathura case are nothing but the conspiracy of the RSS and BJP. He had then also threatened a “nationwide agitation”. Haji Mehboob also called the Shivling found inside the Wazukhana of the Gyanvapi Masjid a ‘Fawwara’ (fountain).
